Snowshoe hares feed at night, following well worn forest paths to feed on trees and shrubs, grasses, and plants. These animals are nimble and fast, which is fortunate, because they are a popular target for many predators. Lynx, fox, coyote, and even some birds of prey hunt this wary hare.

The diet of snowshoe hares is diverse. In summer they eat herbaceous plants and the new growth of woody vegetation. In winter, they eat twigs, buds, and bark.

As your leveret grows you will need to house him outside during the day in a hutch with an attached run. Always bring him in before it starts to get dark, usually at the time of his evening feed at 7 – 8 pm. For gnawing, provide a bark covered log, large stone or a clean brick that has been weathered.

Unlike rabbits that dig underground dens, hares spend all of their time above ground. They sleep under bushes, in root hollows, or under debris. Snowshoe hares are mostly active at night.

30 mph

Food can be scarce in the Arctic, but the hares survive by eating woody plants, mosses, and lichens which they may dig through the snow to find in winter. In other seasons they eat buds, berries, leaves, roots, and bark. Traditionally, the arctic hare has been important to Native Americans.

A snowshoe hare group is called a ‘band or down’.

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) live mainly in the boreal forests — coniferous forest connected by fens and bogs at the southern edge of the arctic tundra in Canada and northern United States.

Important predators of snowshoe hares include gray foxes, red foxes, coyotes, wolves, lynx, bobcats and mink.

Snowshoe hares have an interesting adaptation that helps protect them against predators. Depending on the season, their fur can be a different color. During the winter, snowshoe hares are white, which helps them blend in with the snow. This color helps them camouflage with dirt and rocks.

“Like other seasonal traits, the autumn molt in snowshoe hares is triggered by changes in day length,” Good said. “But the color of their winter coat is determined by genetic variation that has been shaped by evolution to match the local presence or absence of snow.”

Hares. Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). americanus)—turn from brown or grayish to white in the winter. The color change is thought to be at least partially linked to photoperiod—that is, the amount of light received during the day.

Snowshoe hares prefer to live in coniferous forests found in cold climates, where the thick underbrush provides them with plenty of places to hide from predators. Unlike rabbits, hares don’t build nests or burrows, but live above ground year-round.

Least Concern (Population stable)

Snowshoe hares are safe to eat as long as they’re cooked, but rabbits can carry tularemia, bacteria passed on through internal organs, that can be contracted through open cuts and contact with infected tissues.

42 cmAdult

Snowshoe hares are primarily found in the northern two-thirds of Michigan. Snowshoe’s prefer forests with thick understory and is often found in places like coniferous forests, cedar bogs, and spruce swamps. Snowshoe hares are well adapted for snow with their large hind feet, which help the animal travel over the snow.

In the United States, most states allow shooting rabbits in your yard as long as you reside in the areas that permit your firearm’s discharge. A hunting license is also necessary as there are rabbit hunting seasons for different rabbit species.

Snowshoe hares are larger than New England cottontails, having a larger body, longer ears, and much longer feet. Probably the most recognizable difference between the two species is that snowshoe hares turn white during the winter while New England cottontails remain brown.